Baseball game



March 2, 1948 M. c. MEYER 2,436,816

BASEBALL GAME Filed Aug. 21, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet l alunomo 4 a/unau v v slur SAFE -fi our SAFE, I our EAFE 1 35\ H 7 M v h 2/ Fig. 2

INVENTOR. Maxim i/z'a/z CMe /er BY m i ATTORNEYS March 2, 1948. M. c. MEYER 2,436,816

BASEBALL GAME Filed Aug. 21; 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 SUBSTITUTE IND EX FINGER FOR B AT Raise Index Finger (Bai) lndicafing No+ Hitting at Pitched Ball, Called as Follows= Oui Curve Ir Curve I Straight Fast Smke I Fig.3

. INVENTOR. Maximilian 6'. Meyermvum ATTURIVEYS Patented Mar. 2 1948 UNITED STATE s PATENT OFFICE 7 Claims. 1

My invention relates to a novel educational and recreational baseball game and more particularly my invention relates to a baseball game that is mechanically operated but is substantially entirely governed by the discretional acts of judgment exercised in'playing the game of baseball.

Many games based on baseball have been proposed but they have lacked public acceptance primarily because they. are baseball games in name only and have no realistic relation to the,

game of baseball as it is known and played by substantially all American men and boys.. Although the prospective user may be. drawn to such games because of their appearance or because they are called baseball games, any specific examination soon makes evident the fact that the playing of the garnebasically depends on pure chance alone asexemplified by the use of a spinner dial and no baseball strategy or judgment is required or useful in their playing.

' It is the object of my invention to provide a novel baseball game that can. beplayed by two individuals or two teams in such a manner that the team that exercisesfthe superior baseball judgment and strategywill have the advantage to provide a novel baseball game that embodies in mechanical form a truereincarnation of baseball as played on the diamond.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a novel mechanical baseball game in which a pitchercan exercise his own discretion and present to the batter a variety of pitches according to his judgment.

It is afurther object of my present inventionto provide a novel mechanical baseball game in which thebatter can, through the exercise of his own discretion, decide whether to hit at or "take the ball delivered by the pitcher.

It is the further object of my invention to provide a mechanical baseball game in which the batter can exercise his judgment as to the kind i of pitch that the pitcher is delivering and govern his own response accordingly as is the practice in the playing of theactual game of baseball.

It is the further object of my invention to provide a mechanical game of baseball in which. various moves can be made eifectively or which correspond generally to the baseball strategy in the ordinarygame of baseball.

. It is a further object of myinvention to provide .a novel mechanical game in which. a ball may 2 be delivered into a rotating element comprising a series of separate compartments in such a manner that the ball will remain within that element and quickly settle in one compartment thereof.

I accomplish these objects by a mechanical game in which a batting stand is provided on a board adjacent to a rotatable wheel. The pitcher places a ball, while concealed from the batter, into a selected hole or slot according to whether he wishes to pitch a ball or a strike, and he may also elect whether the ball will be an incurve or an outcurve. A batter can either decide to hit at the ball, or to "take the ball. If he takes the ball then he is credited with the ball or charged with a strike, depending on whether the pitcher delivered a ball ,or strike. If he strikes at the ball, then he must judge as to whether the pitcher deliveredan'incurve, straight ball oran outcurve, and tap a corresponding plunger device. If he guesses incorrectly, he is charged with a strike because the plunger will not contact the ball. If he guesses correctly, then the plunger discharges the ball from the opening into the rotating wheel, where, as in ordinary baseball, upon the ball being hit out into the field, a safe hi or an out may result.

Both the pitcher's actions and the batters actions are determined by the number of strikes, balls, the outs. and the presence of men on bases. The side at bat may elect to attempt to steal when their runner is on base and are provided with means for determining whether or not such steals are successful.

Strategy in judgment that plays so important a part in ordinary base ball, plays an equally impor -ant part in this game.

The game itself andthe baseball judgment and the'strategy that may be exercised in the playing of the game will best be understood from consideration of the drawings and the specific description which here follows: Figure 1 is a plan view ofthe game of my invention.

Figure 2 is a sideview of the game looking towards the rear side of the pitching and batting stand which is the side which the pitcher faces in delivering the ball.

Figure 3 is a cross section taken along line 33 of Figure 1. a Figure 4 is a plan view of the element that conceals the pitcher's actions from the batters, the element also carrying certain information-a to the playing of the game.

on the pin I3. A central knob I5 is providedatov enable the player to rotate the wheel element I I p by hand.

The wheel element II is divideddntmamlurality of compartments I6 which are separated by slats I! so that a ball elementgi8=onEbeihgdeliirered to the wheel element will come to, rest .with-i in one of the compartments I6.

Three pointer elements 20, 2| and 22 are provided at positions corresponding-to -second'-*base, third base and'homeplate. The-peripheral wall of eachcompa-rtment I6 ismadeupofa wall element =2 4. The outside appearance of this wall'element 24 will be seen in Figure 2, and the-inside appearance of wall element *24 wil1be seen in :Figures 3, 5, and 6 and discussed hereinafter. The'knob I5 ismounted on I a circular dome- -shaped element 26 and aplurality of discsZ'Iare set into-dome member'ifi. These disc elements have certain double play designations that are employed when battersareon such basepositions as would make them susceptible-tothe operation of a double play.

M unted onbase III-is a-pitching and batting i stand 30 through which protrude: certain :st-riking elements which the' batter may-elect totap. One @is an in-curve-ball element 31; another a istraight-fast-stri-ke-element 32 and the third "is an out-cu-rve ballelement33. 'Thestructure and operation of these elements r-willbe evident from the-showing'thereof in?Figures':-2 and-f3 =and theorie- -scription: thereof WhiOh fOllQW-sih connection with -the description of the :operation and playin of ::this game.

-In' positions corresponding i'bo first *base, sec- 0nd base, and third base respectively arepeg re- ..ceptacles 735,:36, and Slim which :maybe placed isuitable pegs that are provided for use in this game :to :indicateplayer positions. JAn'rout'indi- .cator "is provided 'in one cQIT-ner of "-the 'board 38 which contains three :holes indicated :as :39 in which :by the placem nt of ea "peg dlhetnumber of outs counted against a sideumay :be recorded.

'The mechanical operation ofithe device is inditea-ted best inFigure 'By1meansaof tthu b 18n forefin er app ied to :the :kno L5 he'wheel-e eplant :24 31 :cau-sed to gmtat n-@the pin I-.3 "in a countemclockwiseidifiection. The rbatterrwhenhe ha dec ed t strik a abal dec d s wha ki d of a p ch ha een del ve ed bat e. p tcher and taps according to that choice lone oft-tllewelements suche s .32- .E ement 3. compri e a lunge 40 which is yieldably held'by a spring 4| an d;h a s a :itoundedo slan ed bot om 4.2- T e el menti almob t so tha he fin er. can e sily'be pplied thereto andwhen tapped downwardly the rounded or slanted end 4-; of the plunger 40 strikes the ball I8fion the rear side thereof. Thus,

'-while impelling the ball outwardly from the grooye43 it imparts a backward spin tothe-ball jlj'as indicated by the arrows on the ball in its "intermediary position at -I'8. The-spring M and the distance between the 'knobgn the endof'the within a substantial range of definite impacts by tapping of the element 32, the ball I8 will be caused to fall on the dome element 26 or within the wheel element I I. The back spin imparted to the ball I8 is a prime factor in preventing the ball I8 from bouncing out of the wheel element II. It is important that the ball l8 stay in the wheel element II since otherwise a replay is nec- KBSSB I Y.

The playing of, the gametisras follows:

The rules of the national game of baseball are employed wherever possible. The batter is out I n three strikes but goes to base on four balls.

"Nine innings constitute a game and in the event :;of';a.'tie,; p1ay:is continued until a difference of at least one run between the two sides is found at the end ofaninning.

The game is begun by the pitcher who acts for one side and who, after deciding to pitch a ball nor, strike,. places the ball I8 in one ,of the eoncea1edj,hole s -4 3, 44 ,or 45 -(see Figure v2). A jgIQOV e4T is provided which'encompasses the three holes243, 74,4, 4 5 ,s,o. that.,the ball I8 for the deception of thebattenemay .be movedrback. and forth' by thevvp'itcher in that,groove .41 just .before heallows the ball I18 to drop .into .one or (the other. of the .holes. Thabatter is prevented from rseeinginto which hole .the, pitcher has dropped the ball I,8,because of the intervention of the pitching batting stand 311 and I because of .the intervening screen element I50. (See Figures ..3 .and .4.)

The batter takes hispOsition .for this purpose facing that side of -the screen 5|) on which the elements 3.27am located while thepitcher takes .hisside ,onvtheopposite side .of "the screen .50 where the pitching remove 14.! is located. The pitcher then having w elected as .to what :kind-of pitch the .will deliver drops the ball I8 into the hole v4511. he wishes-tothrow an rin-curve-ball -oreinto the hole 431i .he .wishesto throw straightif'astestrike, or into the -.hole 44 iii the wishes .to throwan out-.curve-ball.

' The batter exercises his, judgment to deter- ,mine the type of 'hallthe pitcherhas delivered upon the number of balls or strikes and number of outs, and thenumberof menon bases. Having decided ,as to whether the pitch is an in- "cuave, out-curve, or a straight fastball, he taps "the corresponding plungerrelement v31, 32, or 33. If he has calculated correctlyandfor example, taps-the middle plunger 32 zand-xthe pitcher has de vereda misht testba i ne edpped't e {ball in the hole 43) then his tapping the element 32 causes 'theball to expelledas shown in Fig- :ure 3 out into the wheel element H. The ball IIB then drops into one of the compartments IS. The notation on the inside-wall '24 of "the compartment I6 indicates, as seen in Figures '3, 5, and 6, whether he has gotten a hit such asa single, triple or a home run, or an out has resulted. As can be seen by an examination of the plan view in Figure -1, each compartment striking element 32 andthe stand is such --that"" 5 icontains a" notation as to where the ball has gone,

'e.'g. to center field, orin *the'c'ase of an out, the players that have executed that out.

The batter, if he has obtained a safe hit, is rep-'- resented by a peg being placed in the corresponding base,'e; g'., first base 35 and third base 31. The next'batter then steps up and'the process is repeated, the pitcher and the batter now both being governed in their actions by the presence of the man on base.

When'the ball is not hit at or is' missed, the man at bat returns the ball to the pitcher by tapping the plunger element indicated by the j pitcher. "If. during the play, the ball strikes the element ii in such a way that'the ball does not stay within the wheel element ll,.then' a foul ball and the consequent strikes are counted up against the batter up to and including the second strike.

The side at bat may attempt to steal if it has a runneror runners on base. The batter must announce this when the ball isdelivered. If the batter strikes at the ball .and misses during the attempt at steal or if he takes the pitch, then the outcome of the stealis determined by the indicator at the batters base involved. The indicatorsare atsecond base, 2| at third base and 22 at home plate. The result of the attempt isdetermined; by whether the appropriate base indicator points as seen in Figure 2 to "out" or to safe.

i The double play discs :nv which are mounted on the dome 26 are placed immediately adjacent certain of the compartments 16. For example the disc denoted asl'l in Figure l-is placed immediately atthe headof thecompartment carrying the numbers 6-.-3. This disc is employed when a runner is on first base, for in that case when the batter hits 'the ball intothis compartment the shortstop 6 throws the ball to the second ball, are effective when there is no more than one out on a side.

The various other rules that apply to baseball are utilized in this game.

The present game is of great value not only for the recreational value to those who enjoy the game of baseball because of its basic relationship to the game of baseball, but also because of its educational value. The various strategies and judgments of baseball may be exercised and developed by those who play this game so that the mental background and acts of judgment and strategy are developed for use on the baseball field by the player.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the novel principles of the invention disclosed herein in connection with the specific exemplificatlons thereof will suggest various other modifications and applications of the same. It is accordingly desired that in construing the breadth of the appended claims they shall not be limited to the specific exemplifications of the invention described herein.

I claim:

1. In a baseball game in which a ball is propelled. into .a wheel element containing a plurality of separate compartments, which wheel element is adapted to be rotated, a pitching and batting stand rising above and positioned adiacent to said wheel element, a plurality ofholes on the pitchingzside of said stand, which pitching side faces said wheel element, said holes being adapted to receive and hold a. ball when placed therein, a plurality of propelling elements disposed in said'pitching and batting stand, one for eachof said holes, a plurality of means positioned on the batting side of said pitching and batting stand for actuatingsaid propelling elements, each of said means being adapted to actuate a corresponding one of said propelling elements to cause a ball in the corresponding hole on the pitching side to'be propelled into said compartmented wheel, and means for concealing from the batting side the area including and surrounding the holes in the pitching side in which said ball isadapted to be placed.

2. In a baseball game in which a ball is propelled into a wheel element containing a plurality of separate compartments, which wheel element is adapted to be rotated, a pitching and batting stand rising above and'positioned adjacent to said wheel element, a plurality of holes on the pitching side of said stand facing said wheel element, a plurality of plungers on the opposite or batting side of said stand, one plunger for each of said holes, each of said plungers being positioned to extend into one of said holes, said ball being adapted to be placed into any one of said holes, each of said plungers being so positioned that it may be moved into contact with said ball when in its respective hole, whereupon said ball is expelled into said Wheel element and settles into one of the separate compartments thereof.

3. In a baseball game in which a ball is propelled into a wheel element containing a plurality of separate compartments, which wheel element is adapted to be rotated, a pitching and batting stand rising above and'positione'd adjacent to said wheel element and being mounted on a support, said stand having on opposite sides a pitching side and a batting side, said pitching side being concealed from said batting side, a plurality of holes in the pitching side facing said wheel element, said ball being adapted to be placed in any one of said holes, a plurality of plungers on the batting side one plunger for each of said holes, each of said plungers being yieldably supported so that the tapping of a selected plunger moves one end of said plunger into its respective hole and thereby expels the ball from the hole into said wheel element.

4. In a baseball game in which a ball is propelled into a wheel element containing a plurality of separate compartments, which wheel element is adapted to be rotated, a pitching and batting stand rising above and positioned adjacent to said wheel element and being mounted on a support, said stand having on opposite sides a pitching side and a batting side, said pitching side being concealed from said batting side, a plurality of holes in the pitching side facing said wheel element, said ball being adapted to be placed in any one of said holes, a plurality of plungers on the batting side, one plunger for each of said holes, each, of said plungers being yie'ldably supported with one end moveable downwardly into its respective hole through a channel communicating with the innermost end thereof so that the tapping of a selected plunger moves one end of said plunger down into its respective hole, the movement of said plunger being such as to expel the ball which has been placed in the hole associated with the plunger which is tapped into said wheel element with a ba'c'ksp'in 'on said bail imparted thereto by said plunger.

5. In a baseball game in which a ball is propelled into a Whee'l elemeht containing a plurality of separate compartments, which wheel element is adapted to be rotated, a pitching and batting stand rising above and positioned ad-' jacent to said wheel element and being mounted on a support, said stand having on opposite sides a pitching side and a batting side, said pitching side being concealed from said batting side, a groove which includes along its length a plurality of holes in the pitching side facing said wheel element, said ball being adapted to be placed in any one of said holes, a plurality of plungers on the batting side oneplun'ger 'for each of said holes, each of said plungers being yieldably supported so that the tapping of .a selected plunger moves one end of said plunger into its respective hole, the movement of said plunger being such as to expel the ball which has been placed in the hole associated with the plunger which is tapped into said wheel element.

6. In 'a baseball game which includes a plurality of compartments for receiving a propelled .1

ball; a stand Having a pitching side and a batting side, the pitching side facing the said compartments, a plurality of openings located in said pitching side each adapted to receive a ball, a plurality of impelling means corresponding to the number 'of said openings and a separate one of said impelling means associated with each of said openings and adapted to impel aball when located in the corresponding opening into the air with the proper force in the direction of the said compartments, a plurality of actuating means for operating the impelling means from the batting side of the stand, one actuating means being associated with each impelling means and its cor- -.responding iopeni-nmhnd means for concealing the openings in the pitching side of the stand from the batting side.

'7. In 'a baseball game which include's' a vplurality of compartments -for receiving a propelled ball; a stand having apit'ching side and a batting side, the pitching side facing the said compartments, a plurality of openings located insai'd pitching side each adaptedto'receive a ball, a plurality of impel-ling means corfrespondiiig to the number of said'openihgsrand a separate one of said impelling'means associated 'with'each of said openings and radaptedto iinpel a ball when located in its *opening intothe air with the proper force in the direction offthe said compartments, an actuating element associated with each of the impelling means, which element extends to and is operable from the batting side of the stand, andmeans for concealing the openings in the pitching side "of the *stand from the batting side.

' MAXIMIDIAN C;

REFERENCES CITED,

,The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED sTA'rEs PATENTS 

